Even Heroes Need a Hero
by darksupernatural
Summary: Kira has been hunting with the guys, but Sam leaves her behind to hunt a dangerous demon. Things go from bad to worse as someone comes back into the picture. Rated for violence and some language to be safe.Limp!Sam Angry!Dean Torture ensues. Bobby helps.
1. Promises

A/N: Thanks to all the great people out there who read and review. It is the only thing that keeps me writing. This story was hard for me to write because while I enjoy a little creative beating once in a while it is hard for me to inflict the beating on Kripke's guys. I'm sure it would be just as hard if they were mine though. Somehow I just can't bring myself to bloody those gorgeous faces and bodies.

This story is for JoyofReading. You have told me you like SamKira and that's what made me decide to give her the part in this one that I did. I hope you enjoy.

Also for Blue Peanut M&M who loves a little Limp!Sam.

Kris.

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Even Heroes Need a Hero

**Chapter 1: Promises**

"Stay here; train Harry to take your place as manager. Please Kira, this hunt is way too dangerous. You're not ready for a demon like this yet."

"Sam, I've been hunting at your side for two months now. I've helped you put demons away before. I know the exorcisms backwards and forwards in Latin and ancient Greek. Why am I not ready for this one?"

"Yes, I know you do and I'm proud of you, but they were lower level demons. This son of a bitch is bad ass. It's killed thirty people already, two of them lifelong hunters." Sam's voice dropped low in sadness over the lost hunters' lives. The side of good in this war took a very hard hit when the demon got those hunters. "Please, promise me you'll stay here. Train Harry to take care of the motel for you. Dean and I will come for you as soon as this hunt is over."

She glared at him. "Are you always gonna be like this?" The question was asked quietly.

He pulled her into his arms, leaning low to rest his head on her shoulder. "Yes I am." He said. "It's because I love you with all my heart and I can't bear to lose someone I love again. I_can't_. I'll probably protect you from hunts like this one for the rest of our lives, because this is just something no one is_ever_ ready for, no matter how long they've hunted. Can you understand?"

She hugged him back. "Yes, I can. Be careful and come back to me." Sam raised his head and looked into Kira's chocolate brown eyes with his deep green, gold flecked ones. _I love you head to toe, heart and soul. I will come back from this hunt._ He kissed her, long and sweet. They parted and he began walking to the Impala where Dean waited.

_You'd better or I'll summon your spirit to kick your ass._ She spoke in her mind along the path she shared with Sam. She knew he heard. She followed his retreating form out onto the porch into the sunshine. Dean looked at her, knowing how she felt about being left behind.

"We'll see you soon, Kira." Dean called out just before he slid behind the wheel of his baby and fired the engine. They pulled out on the way to Southern Oregon, to a town called Keating, in search of a demon that had Sam very apprehensive. They had tracked very powerful omens to that part of the country. Kira watched the sleek black car disappear into the shimmering heat radiating off the pavement. It faded like a ghost and Kira's heart skipped a beat at the possibility of her Sam meeting the same fate. _No. NO! I can't think like that. He'll come back to me. He'll come back._

"Miss Kira, Come on inside now. You'll see your young man again."

"I pray you're right, Harry." Kira turned and followed Harry inside. Kira went back to teaching Harry every aspect of motel management. She wanted to be able to go with Sam and Dean and not have to worry about the motel. They had a war to win. Kira trusted Harry to run the place. He had been her Aunt's boyfriend, before the spirit of the witch had killed Alice.

Kira had spent a couple hours going over books and finances with him. She was distracted and her eyes kept straying to her laptop. She was waiting for the E-mail that would tell her they had made it to Oregon, and where they were staying. It had become habit for Sam to share that information with Kira in case something went wrong. Kira had instructions to call Bobby with a location.

Harry caught her distraction. "Where'd you say they were going?"

"Keating, Oregon."

"It'll be three more hours, Kira. Let's go get some lunch. My treat."

Kira smiled. "Thanks for trying to keep me occupied, Harry. Lunch sounds nice." Kira liked the older man. He seemed like he may have made a good uncle. He was becoming a good, trusted friend. She followed Harry out of the motel and down the block to the diner.

Once they got there Teresa greeted them as they took a seat at one of the smaller blue and white booths. They ordered and ate, talking quietly about the motel, about Kira's Aunt and Kira's impending "road trip" with Dean and Sam. Kira had sold the other motel a few weeks ago, and while she left Harry with access to an account for expenses, she had bought a car and was taking most of the money with her on the road. They would need supplies and she would see to it that they didn't always share a room with Dean, even if they had to some of the time. She loved Dean like a brother, but she wanted time with the love of her life too.

When Kira and Harry had finished eating they had went back to the motel. Kira's computer was beeping. She had a new message. Sam. They had made it to Keating and they were staying at the Copper Mine Inn. It was two miles from where the demon had last been according to the omens.


	2. A Demon in the House

**Chapter 2: A Demon in the House**

Sam and Dean were in the motel room preparing for this hunt. Dean was cleaning the guns while Sam was hammering away at the laptop doing research on the demon.

"Okay, so I know what exorcism will work on this thing."

"Which one?"

"Remember the one we used on Meg?"

"The first time?"

"We didn't exorcise her the second time, Dean."

"Yeah. I remember. That'll do the trick?"

"It won't be easy. This thing is really powerful Dean. It's already killed two other seasoned hunters."

"Just as long as you stay out of its reach."

"Dean…"

"No Sammy, no compromise on this one. I go in first. You just stay back as far as you can and exorcise this bitch."

"Whatever."

"Dude, don't whatever me. That's just the way it's gonna be or we're forgetting this hunt."

"Dean, we're not forgetting this hunt! Thirty people, Dean. Two hunters. No! This thing is going back to hell."

"Then you stay out of its reach."

"Fine!"

"Good."

Sam went back to his research, double checking his facts. He did not want to be wrong about the exorcism. Dean would be on point on this one and Sam did not want to lose his brother.

_Beep. Beep._ It was an e-mail from Bobby. Sam opened it. Bobby had found an ancient Sumerian ritual that could break Dean's demon deal. Sam grinned from ear to ear as he read. _ Thank you, Bobby._ _This could really work. I could really save Dean._

"What the hell are you grinning like the Cheshire cat for?"

"Huh?" Sam said startled as he looked up to find Dean looking at him like he had two heads. "Nothing. E-mail from Kira. She said Harry is a handful." Sam quickly encoded the file and set a password. He would look it over thoroughly when Dean was asleep. He closed the window, and put the laptop aside, stretching his long legs out under the table to relax. He watched Dean, truly hopeful that he would have more than five more months with his big brother.

"I still say you're whipped."

"Shut up." Sam teased.

"_Whoot-tssh!_" Dean cracked an imaginary whip in the air, directed at Sam's smiling face.

"Jerk."

"Bite me."

"Maybe later."

"Bitch." Dean cracked a green eyed grin and put his clean gun aside. He stretched his legs out on the bed and leaned against the headboard, looking at his baby brother. "You're really happy with her, aren't you?"

"Yeah. For the first time since Jess."

"I'm glad Sammy. You deserve this."

"You'll find it too, Dean."

"Yeah, I doubt that."

"Why?"

Dean shook his head. "I can't settle down like you Sammy. I'm not normal enough for that kind of life." Dean half smiled. "I'm too much of a freak."

"That's not true. You'll find someone who will change your mind on the subject. I felt the same way after Jess. Until Kira."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean closed his eyes, cutting off the conversation that was rapidly turning chick-flicky.

Dean rested for a few minutes and Sam let the conversation go. He turned back to the e-mail from Bobby and began to put together the ritual in his mind. It would be possible to perform, but required many steps. He read the writing carefully, running parts through the state-of-the-art translator Ash had downloaded onto his hard drive before the roadhouse fire that killed him. _Thanks for all the help, Ash._ Sam remembered the mullet sporting genius who had been a great deal of help in tracking omens and deciphering their father's cryptic research.

Sam watched his translator program work. The ritual was coming together. Suddenly something caught his eye. _Spirit world…Sacrifice. What the hell?_ He read on as the program worked. His hope faltered a little bit when he read what the translator had finished with. _This is gonna be harder than I thought. Still possible but…_Sam broke off his chain of thought, not liking where it was going. Dean stirred on the bed and Sam looked up to find it was dark outside. He put the computer on standby so it could finish running the translation and stood from the table. Dean sat up on the bed.

"It's dark outside." Sam said.

"Let's go after this sucker. Send it back to hell in pieces." They packed their gear and headed out to where the demon was last located. They both had the feeling that they wouldn't have to look for the demon. It would find them.


	3. Confrontation

**Chapter 3: Confrontation**

They soon found the house at the coordinates listed dead center for the omens. It was a three story mansion that had looked like it was in all its glory two hundred years ago. It was long since abandoned, in major disrepair. They picked their way cautiously up onto the rotting veranda and through the warped front door. They were in hunter mode, weapons and chant ready, expecting an attack. Well trained senses flared out into the inky darkness that was only broken here and there by the flicker of a candle, checking every recess and corner for what they knew was here. A very powerful, dangerous demon. They caught no signs that the demon was actually here so they began setting up the room for an exorcism. Dean threw back an ancient looking rug that lay dust covered on the graying wooden floor. It stirred a cloud of dust that obscured his vision and had him gagging.

Sam approached through the swirling particles with white chalk in hand from the duffel bag. He knelt and began to draw a Devil's Trap on the clean spot on the floor. Once complete Dean helped him move the rug back into place without breaking the containment rings. Sam moved the only source of light in the room, the candelabras, to one spot not too far from the concealed Devil's trap. Dean unloaded the duffle bag, setting up holy water, the Latin book they would use, and rope. He then searched the lowest floor of the house for a sturdy chair that they could tie the demon to once it was trapped. He came back with one a few minutes later, placing it just on the inside of the trap.

A rush of cold air swirled past Sam and Dean, stirring the dust in the air into a flurry of activity and slamming the door in its wake. Sam and Dean both jumped a little at the loud noise, goose bumps rising under their jackets as the chill permeated the air. They realized they were no longer alone. They stood in unison reaching for their weapons. They didn't know how much a Beretta and a Colt would do against this demon, but both felt better for having their familiar pieces ready.

"I knew you would come, Winchesters." A man's dead sounding voice said from somewhere in the dark. "So predictable. I stir up a little trouble and you are drawn in like moths to the flame. You'll burn just as quickly."

"Yeah right. Show yourself, Bitch." Dean said as he swung his Colt towards the voice and them moved again as the voice appeared to come from everywhere.

"You know why we're here. Make this easy on yourself." Sam joined his brother in searching for the voice in the darkness. His gold flecked green eyes glowing softly as he accessed his demon sensing ability. The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he pointed towards the darkest corner of the large room. Dean held the gun on that point and advanced.

"Don't force us to shoot your host, you piggybacking son-of-a-bitch. It just wouldn't be pretty for the guy."

"You can't damage this host anymore than he is. He's dead already. Do you think I'm that stupid? To pick a host you can easily subdue with a flesh wound? You'd better find another line of work, Dean. You're a little rusty." The demon laughed, it's disembodied, dead voice now coming from somewhere else in the room.

The wind stirred the dust in the room again, kicking up a cloud that had both brothers' gagging and unable to see. Sam pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket. He held it over his nose and mouth and fought to find his way to Dean's side. Dean's voice rang out in the room, sounding muffled. He had also covered his nose and mouth.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Dean taunted in a sing song voice. "Oh, come on, We just want to _chat_."

"Let me guess, the topic of conversation would be…oh, let's see…Latin, perhaps? I don't think so Dean. I'm having too much fun to give up the ghost now." Sam tried to get a fix on where the demon was coming from but the damn thing kept moving.

"Let's just get this over with, huh? I have somewhere I'd much rather be." Sam said adopting Dean's nonchalant behavior in an attempt to make the demon angry.

"Oh yes. That is the voice of my _great_ _leader_. The one I'm supposed to _bow _to. You know Sammy; you just aren't doing that great a job at the whole leadership thing. Maybe you should go take a seminar or something and try again."

"Maybe you should bite me and go straight back to hell." Sam said.

"I believe you're referring to what a zombie would like to do to you. Sorry, Your Majesty, but I don't really have a craving for a piece of you, right now. I am gonna kill you and take your place though. Maybe I'll just possess you and go to Washington, have a little fun with your girl. What's her name, Kira?"

Sam's green eyes shot sparks and he stiffened at the mention of Kira in conjunction with danger. He looked at Dean and allowed his power to flow freely. He was pissed and determined to rid the world of this evil. His body took on the glow from his eyes and it effectively lit up the room around them. The demon was gone. The wind died down.

"Where is the son-of-a-bitch?" Sam asked as he allowed the glow to leave his body. His eyes retained their alert activity, scanning the room. His senses flared out, trying to locate the demon's presence in the house.

"How the hell should I know? This one's shifty." Dean returned as he ventured a few feet from Sam. He started up the squeaking staircase intent on searching the other floors for the demon if necessary.

"Dean, I get the feeling this thing is still down here somewhere. I don't think we need to search the upper floors."

Dean turned back at the wariness in Sam's voice. "Yeah, okay."

Sam glanced up at his brother. The demon materialized behind Dean.

"Dean, WATCH OUT!!" Too late. The demon waved an arm and Dean went flying off the halfway point of the staircase. He landed on the chair that was positioned on the rug covered Devil's Trap. The chair broke under the impact of Dean's body. He gave a pain filled grunt as he hit the floor, skidding across the rug and smearing the chalk written rune beneath. In was powerless now.

Sam bolted to Dean's side. He struggled to his feet with Sam's help, wincing at his very obviously bruised ribs.

"Dude, you okay? Are you hurt?"

Dean brushed the dust off his clothes, smearing it across his face when he raised a hand to the growing lump on the side of his head. He winced again. "I'm okay."

"Not for long." The demon said as it materialized on the floor at the base of the stairs. _"Lapsus procul tui excessum." _ The floor began to shake and heave beneath the Winchester's feet. The whole house began to heave and collapse with the force of an earthquake.

"What the hell?" Dean cried out as the bucking floor forced him backwards into Sam. The floor split suddenly, giving way to a yawning maw below them that was the cellar. Sam and Dean fell with the floorboards into that black abyss. The demon smiled.


	4. Meeting to Help

**Chapter 4: Meeting to Help**

The sun came up. Kira was sitting at her kitchen table. She had tried to sleep only to be woken by an awful fear at about three o'clock that morning. She stared into her neglected tea cup. She hadn't tried it before, but she felt the desperate need to connect with Sam. She knew something was wrong. She tried to contact her love. She caught a flash of terror, pain and nothing. Kira was on her feet instantly. The phone was in her hand and she was hammering a number across the digits. She dialed help.

"Hello." A gruff voice came over the line on the end of the second ring.

"Bobby? It's Kira."

"Kira? How'd the hunt go for the boys?"

"Wrong. They're not back. I connected briefly with Sam. I felt awful pain and then everything went blank. Something is so wrong. Bobby, we need to get to them. Where are you?"

"I'm leaving my place now. I should be there in four hours."

"Forget that Bobby. They were at the Copper Mine Inn in Keating, Oregon. The demon's omens showed centered about two miles from the motel. I have a car. Meet me there."

"Kira, Sam'll have my head if anythin' happens to you. I can't let you go in alone. I'll come to get you. I can't let you go in after those boys half cocked if there is somethin' wrong."

"Bobby, I'm not waiting for you here. It'll take me the same amount of time to get to Keating as it will you. I promise I won't go in alone. I'll wait for you at the Inn."

"Okay. I'll see you in four hours in Keating. You go into the motel room and you stay there. If you don't listen to me girl, I'll make sure Sam takes a switch to your butt. If I don't do it myself."

"I'll wait Bobby. I'm leaving now." _Click. _Kira had hastily packed a bag, strapped on the wicked little knife Sam had given her and put the pistol Dean had given her in pocket of her denim jacket. She was out the door in record time with a quick explanation to Harry that she needed him to run the place. Business was slow. He would be fine. If not he had her numbers. She told him she'd be back in a few days. She pulled out of the motel lot in her blue Monte Carlo with a squeal of rubber.


	5. Taken

**Chapter 5: Taken**

A man walked up to the wrecked mansion. The demon came out through the front of the wrecked house, the door falling over ads he brushed past, swirling dust and smoke in his wake. "You know what I want from you to guarantee your freedom, demon. I want the Winchester boy. Did you leave him alive?"

"He lives. He's not entirely perfectly healthy at the moment, but he lives."

"And Dean Winchester?"

"He's alive, too."

"Bring me Sam Winchester." The demon turned to face the wrecked house from where he stood on the front lawn.

"_Ortus obviam."_ Sam's bleeding, limp form rose from the dark pit that was the basement of the destroyed mansion. The demon used its power to bring his body to the person who was willing to make a deal with a demon to obtain a Winchester. Sam floated to the ground as the man and the demon watched on. A dark smile graced the man's face as he realized his target was finally within his reach.

"If you ask me I'm getting the better end of this deal." The demon said in a dead voice. "Freedom to move on to a living host. Freedom from a _leader_. I never needed a leader." The demon spit in Sam's unconscious face. He never stirred. Sam's new captor smiled. "What do you want me to do with the other one?"

"Leave him. Think what you want, Demon. Our deal is done. We're still at war. If I ever see you again I will send you back to hell. Get out of my sight. I want a little quality time with Sammy Winchester." The demon walked off into the morning leaving unconscious Sam at the mercy of the man.

The man rolled Sam's unconscious form onto his stomach and handcuffed him tightly with his hands behind his back. Sam groaned. After the handcuffs were secure a needle found its mark as Sam again stirred. The last thing he felt was a burning in his blood stream and a strange lethargy. The world went black again. He was tossed roughly into a red El Camino and the car peeled away from the house and Sam's salvation. Gordon Walker had finally gotten what he wanted. The youngest Winchester. The leader of the demon army. His means to revenge.

"Cage, here." Came a voice over a phone.

"It's Gordon. I've got him. Bring your brother and meet me at the rendezvous point. We can have a little fun with this one before we carry out his sentence. No matter what Sam Winchester must die."

"We'll see you there." _Click._


	6. Buried and Battered

**Chapter 6: Buried and Battered**

"Bobby." Kira said as the older hunter pulled up beside her car, at the Inn, in his beaten, rusty blue pickup. She was standing at the front fender waiting.

"Hey Kira. I'm glad you waited. I was worried you charge on in there. You were taught by a couple of the best but going in half cocked is something they're both known for."

"I told you I would wait. I vaguely felt Sam again. He was in so much pain. He's close though. I just don't know where. I lost contact with him again. Damn." She pounded her tiny fist on the hood of her car.

"We'll find the boys. They'll be fine. You'll see. Come on; let's go to the house the coordinates pointed to." Kira got in his truck and the old rust bucket came to life and took off to save the Winchester guys.

They pulled up to the house a few minutes later. Dust was still swirling around the mass of rubble. Bobby slowed the truck; a horrified feeling gripped the older hunter's heart. He hoped the boys had managed to make it out before the place came down around their ears. If not...God only knew what kind of shape him and Kira would find them in.

"Oh God!" Kira was out of the truck before Bobby had applied the brakes. "Dean?! Sam?! GUYS?!!" Kira raced to the edge of the rubble, picking her way through, and looked down into the dark that was the building's basement. The sun was just getting high enough that Kira could see part of the dirt floor. It was covered in rubble. Kira peered into the hole, straining to see the man she loved and his brother. "Dean? Sam? Please talk to me!"

"uhhhhnnnn." Kira heard a groan coming from below as Bobby came up beside her, a large flashlight in hand. Bobby shined the beam down into the hole and illuminated a pile of rubble. Sticking out of it was a hand and a foot. The hand had a silver band on the ring finger.

"Oh god! Dean!" Kira started down into the hole, her concern for the guys she loved streaming down her face in the form of tears that flowed unchecked. Bobby caught her arm stopping her descent.

"Kira wait. You can't pull them out of there by yourself. Let me turn the truck around and we'll use my winch to haul them up. We don't know how bad he and Sam are hurt. Come get the end of the cable and carry it down there with you."

"Okay." She waited until Bobby turned his truck around and backed as close as possible to the hole. She grabbed the end of the cable and turned on the winch, releasing it. She walked to the edge and lowered herself down. She was at Dean's side a minute later.

"Okay Bobby. Shut off the winch. It's only about ten feet deep." She shouted. Bobby cut power to the winch. Toss me a flashlight. I have to dig them out." Kira caught a smaller flashlight with ease and began moving rubble from Dean's now moving form. He groaned again.

"Dean, Dean. Shh… don't move. You're hurt." She flipped more rubble off his chest. He was bloody and bruised but nothing looked broken. His eyes opened.

"Kira?" He asked groggily.

"Yeah. I'm here. Don't move too much. Bobby is with me and we're gonna get you out. Where's Sam? What happened?"

Dean sat up gingerly and winced when it aggravated his injuries. He thought he had at least one bruised rib. It hurt to breathe and his world spun with a vengeance when he looked around, worried about his baby brother.

"Sammy?!" He shouted. It brought on a coughing fit that had him gasping.

"Easy Dean. Let's get you out of here and up to Bobby." She removed her jacket and tied it around Dean's ribs to cushion them from the winch cable. He tried to stand and couldn't. His knee felt swollen; at least badly sprained. "Let the winch do the work. Just try to hang on. Bobby will help you when you get up there. I'll find Sam and holler for the cable again. Okay Bobby, pull him up!" Kira watched Dean be pulled to his feet and up out of the hole to safety. Bobby's head peeked over the rim of the hole and he caught Dean by the shoulders, pulling him up over the edge.

"I got 'im Kira. I'm gonna clean him up a bit. Holler when you find Sam an' I'll send the cable back down." Bobby's voice drifted to her ears. Kira was frantically searching the remaining rubble for some sign of her love. She had yet to see anything and was really beginning to get scared.

"Sam? Please talk to me. Say something if you can hear me!" _ Sam, baby please let me know you're okay. I'm trying to find you. You have to let me know where you are._ She had combed the entire basement moving all the debris. Sam wasn't there. She felt nothing. Terror choked her as she slowly climbed out of the hole where the house had stood. Bobby had Dean sitting against the front tire of his truck. He was checking Dean for a concussion, which he definitely had.

Dean looked around Bobby when he heard footsteps. It was Kira. She was alone, with tears streaming down her face.

"Kira, where the hell is Sam?"

"I checked every inch… of…of that hole. He's not down there. I can't sense him in my mind either, Dean. I'm so scared."

"That demon must have him. I swear I'm gonna send that son-of-a-bitch screaming back to hell in pieces!" Dean tried to force his way to his feet, only to have his legs give out as darkness closed in around him. He slid to the ground, slowed only by Bobby's quick reach. Kira stepped forward and together she and Bobby wrestled Dean into the truck. She held Dean's unconscious form upright in the seat, taking his keys out of his pocket, and waited until Bobby circled and got in the driver's seat. He took Dean from her and held him while she handed him her jacket and shut the door. He wadded up the denim and held it to the door panel as he eased Dean's battered head onto it, making a coarse textured but effective cushion. Kira got into the Impala and followed Bobby back to the motel.

Once there Kira and Bobby hauled Dean into the room and laid him on the bed. Kira got a washcloth from the bathroom towel rack and dampened it with cool water. Returning to the bedroom she bathed blood and dust from Dean's face. He stirred and opened his eyes. Kira's tears had dried but her eyes were haunted. Dean took notice as memory returned to him. Kira looked at him and helped him ease upright on the bed. She remained quiet. Bobby entered the room a full ice bucket in hand. He went into the bathroom and grabbed a bath towel and hand towel from the rack. He made two icepacks and returned to the young hunter's side.

"How bad are you hurt, Dean?"

"I think it's just my knee, and ribs. How the hell are we gonna find Sam?" He started to force his way upright and was assailed by dizziness and a sick feeling. He groaned. Kira noticed the green pallor his face had taken on and barely had the trash can in front of him in time. He retched until he had nothing left. The dry heaves continued until he was breathless and shaking. When they subsided Kira handed him a bottled water. He broke the seal and rinsed his mouth, spitting the foul water in the trashcan before drinking a few sips.

"What about your head?" Bobby asked.

"Hurts like a bitch. Thanks for asking." He fell back against the bed wearily; and asked again "How are we gonna find Sam?"

"You rest and let me look into it. Kira, you stay with him. Head injury. Wake him every two hours."

"Whoa, whoa, Bobby. I'm not stayin' here sleepin' while my little brother is out there being a punching bag for some damn demon."

"Dean, don't aggravate your injuries. Let Bobby do some checking and then we'll all go after Sam. We'll bring him back home safe. I promise. Please just rest for a little bit. It's like I told you before; if you don't do yourself some good you can't do Sam any good. As much as I hate the thought of the man I love out there somewhere suffering, I know all we can do is give Bobby a chance to find us something to go on." She caressed his cheek with a tiny hand and he quieted. Bobby got up from the chair and headed for the door.

"You find _anything_ you call us. We'll come to you. I'm not gonna sit out of trying to find my brother." Dean said. Bobby nodded and left, hoping he'd find some clue as to who had Sam. Somehow it just didn't ring true with Bobby that the demon had Sam. Most of the demons while they were gunning for Sam, trying to become leader themselves, wanted to waste no time on the boy. They didn't want him as a captive. They just wanted him dead. Something strange was definitely going on.


	7. An Enemy Returns

**Chapter 7: An Enemy Returns**

Sam came around when water was splashed in his face. It ran down his chest, soaking his t-shirt and jeans. He shook his head as his sopping hair covered his bleary eyes. He was one big frayed nerve. Everything hurt. He was in a silent, dark room. He tried to peer into the darkness, wondering who threw the water, but the black was too deep to penetrate.

"What the hell is going on?" He rasped around his dusty, dry throat. "Who are you?" He tried to fight his bindings as sensation came back into his abused body. He was tied to a chair, with his hands behind his back. The bindings were tight, cutting into his wrists as he flexed to test the strength of the rope. He quieted and tried again to make out who his captors were. He could see nothing in the darkness but he did hear the rustle of clothing, and something else. A familiar whoosh-click. _Switchblade. _He swallowed hard. Demons had no need for a switch blade._ Where the hell am I and who has me? Where's Dean?_

"Where's my brother?" _Silence._ "Where's Dean?" _Nothing. _ "Who are you?" He heard footsteps and rustling clothing. He could barely make out a figure in the darkness and a fist flying at his face. The blow was enough to snap his head sideways.

"Guhhh." Sam sucked in a sharp breath. He saw stars, blackness crouching at the edges of his vision. He felt the blade press against his Adam's apple. He forced himself not to breathe or swallow as he felt blood trickle down his neck. The knife was pulled away and Sam sucked in a breath. He was punched again, receiving a split lip and a broken tooth from the fist that attacked him. He spit blood from his mouth as his head lolled on his shoulders. He tried to breathe through the pain, not giving them the satisfaction of even a whimper. He opened his eyes and glared into the darkness.

"Who are you? I know you're not the demon. Demons aren't afraid to show themselves when they have the upper hand." Sam used psychology on the person holding him captive, trying to get some clue as to who they were. _ Still nothing._ Sam peered into the darkness, trying to see something he could use his telekinesis on. It was too black. He couldn't make anything out.

"Where's my brother?" The only thing he got in answer was another punch. He felt his right eye swelling shut immediately as pain rocketed through his skull. He tried to heal his injuries but found his mind too foggy from the trauma to concentrate. The knife was pressed against his throat again. As he stilled, waiting for the slash, He tried to reach out mentally. To Kira, to Dean. He didn't know if it would work. He was still having difficulty getting his pain filled brain to function. The knife moved away.

"What do you want?" He asked quietly. The only response was a whispered laugh and a needle being thrust into his neck.

"Ahhh! What is that? It burns." _God._ He felt himself surrendering to the pain in his blood and the beckoning darkness. His head slumped to his chest as unconsciousness claimed him again.

Bobby was walking around the remains of the mansion. He caught some faint impressions in the grass and dirt at the edge of the drive way. He saw where something large was laid down on the grass. Not knocked down, more like picked up and placed on the ground, almost gently. There was a small amount of blood in the imprint. Sam's blood. Bobby wondered how badly the boy was hurt and if he managed to heal himself. He also noticed two sets of tire tracks. One belonged to the Impala; he'd known where it sat when he and Kira had first pulled up. The other set stopped close to where the other imprint was on the ground. He then saw two drag marks leading from the imprint across the tire tracks that suddenly ended. He studied the two drag marks and he knew he recognized them. Heel marks. Sam was the large object that made the imprint in the grass. He was then picked up under the arms and dragged to the passenger side of a car.

Someone had Sam and it definitely wasn't a demon. Bobby studied the tire tracks once more. There was something familiar about them. Something he remembered from a long time ago. He just couldn't place it.

He went back to the motel. Kira let him into the room. Dean was asleep.

"Hey Bobby. Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. I think so." Bobby walked over to the bed. He jostled Dean's shoulder. "Dean?"

Dean jumped, coming fully awake. "Bobby, what is it?" He sat up, only wincing slightly.

"The demon doesn't have Sam. People do. I went back to the mansion. I saw tire tracks and marks in the grass. Sam was drug into a car. I think the demon had something to do with it though because one of the impressions was Sam's body being laid out on the grass, almost like it floated."

"That would explain how he was taken from the basement without any tracks or drag marks." Kira said.

"Yeah, probably."

"What person would want to hurt Sam? Who would work with a demon to take him?"

Bobby and Dean exchanged a long look, light bulbs coming on in their minds.

"Gordon Walker!" they said in unison.

"That SON-OF-A-BITCH! I knew I shoulda killed his ass the last time I caught the bastard hunting Sam. This time I won't make that mistake." Dean was fuming. He pushed himself to his feet and half-limped, half-paced across the room, running his hand over his short spiky hair.


	8. Hanging Out

**Chapter 8: Hanging Out**

Sam was shaking when he regained consciousness this time. He was no longer in the chair. And he was in a different room. This one was not so dark. It had a window, high in the rafters. It looked like a warehouse type room, with exposed beams and duct work. The floor was concrete and cold he noticed as his bare toes touched it. His senses began running overtime as he realized through the obvious drug induced haze that he was suspended from a beam by his wrists, shirtless, shoeless and very cold. Goose bumps rose on his flesh as that feeling settled in along with the pain in his neck from the drug, and his shoulders from his position. He was stretched out well past his full height. He tried to ease the pull but couldn't get his toes to support his weight. He looked up to see blood snaking its way down his arms, now dry, from where the handcuffs had sliced into his wrists.

"Oh, what the hell is going on?" He groaned. His neck popped from its strained position and black spots swam across his vision. His toes lost their purchase and his body weight was now fully borne by his arms again. He felt his left shoulder pull from its socket, dislocated.

"AAAHHHHH!" He screamed in agony and passed out from the pain.

Water was again splashed on his face. This time it was ice cold. It shocked him awake and set his teeth chattering. It was now fully dark outside. He could see more but still nothing clearly. His vision was pain hazy. Something was poking him in the ribs. It was the figure with the knife.

"Why are you doing this?" He croaked, now realizing how raspy and disused his voice sounded. Pain shot from his shoulder to his brain as the figure spun him around on his bindings twisting his dislocated shoulder. The person put a blindfold on him tying it tightly into his long hair. He gasped as his shoulder was jarred again. It was too much.

"Please, my shoulder. It's out of place."

"Good. Maybe it'll keep you awake for some of this." The switchblade was again drawn across flesh, this time drawing blood in a long line across Sam's muscled abdomen.

"Aagh." The voice dawned on him now. He recognized it. "Gordon. What do you want with me?"

"What do I want wit' you Sammy? I want you dead!"

"Why? I haven't done anything."

"Yeah right. Hahaha." Gordon laughed and punched Sam in the abdomen, right on the cut from the knife. The impact of the fist against Sam's blood wet skin was like the slap of a whip. Sam gasped and sucked in a breath, feeling sick. He squeezed his eyes shut beneath the blindfold. "You haven't done anything? You really expect me to believe that? You were at that gate. You let those damn demons out and brought on the end of the world. You fulfilled your destiny Sammy; you became the leader of the demon army. I take out the leader, I take out the army.

"No Gordon. I'm not the leader of any army. We killed yellow eyes. I have control of my powers. I'm working with Dean, Bobby and some other hunters returning the demons to hell. I don't want any part of that army. I never did. Let me go."

"I don't think so Sammy. I don't think I'm gonna let you walk outta here. You see, you're evil, you need to die."

"You're wrong. I'm not evil! My abilities aren't evil. They didn't come from the demon. They came from my mom. My mom had the same abilities. I inherited them. The demon wanted me because I possessed natural abilities." Gordon drew back a fist and punched Sam again. Sam grunted and gagged on the bile that rose into the back of his throat as the blow sent him swinging on his injured shoulder. Gordon dragged the knife across his abdomen again, bringing more blood and another pain filled hiss from Sam.

"Ungh. What are you gonna do to me?" Exhaustion was setting in along with the cold and shock.

Gordon pulled a syringe from his pocket and pulled off the cap. He roughly removed the blindfold ripping a lock of Sam's hair from the back of his head. Sam gasped at the pain that ricocheted through his brain. He felt blood trickle in a hot path down the back of his cold neck. He looked around at his surroundings trying to find out where he was. It was some kind of factory. There were boxes of what looked like dust covered yarn and fabric. _A blanket factory?_

"No! What are you doing?!" Sam tried to flinch away from Gordon as the needle closed in. His numb feet again lost purchase on the cold concrete, wrenching his shoulder painfully. "Ohhhnn. Don't do this to me Gordon. I don't deserve this. Please."

Gordon laughed again. "Don't worry Sammy. It hurts goin' in, but soon you'll look forward to it. Then it'll really hurt when you do wit'out it."

"What are you getting me hooked on? Why…" the needle slid home in Sam's neck, the now familiar burn clouding his mind. His eyes grew heavy. "Why doncha b'lieve mmeee?" Sam said; his speech slurring as consciousness was stolen from him yet again. He slumped, his full weight now suspended from the handcuffs connecting him to the beam in the ceiling. Blood again began trailing down his arms from the reopened cuts on his wrists.

Gordon stood back and admired his handy work. He had the Winchester boy begging already.

Cage and another hunter, Rocky, came up behind Gordon. "What do you want to do with him now?"

"Get him down and cuff him to the frame in the next room. On his face. When the drug wears off I'll let you have a little fun. Stop the bleeding from his wrists; we can't have him die of blood loss yet. That's later."

Rocky looked at Gordon. "Man, he didn't sound like he wants to lead the army, Gordon. What if what he said is true? What if he's on our side?"

Gordon stepped up to the young hunter and lifted him from the ground by his shirt collar. "He's the leader of the demon army; he lies just like any other demonic son-of-a-bitch. If you believe him you're dead. He'll kill you, first chance he gets. Now do you see why Sam Winchester has to die?"

Rocky nodded furiously, scared more of Gordon than the powerful man his age who was hanging lifelessly from the ceiling. "Yeah. I-I get it."

Gordon lowered him to his feet. "Good." Cage had walked around the scene and began wrestling with Sam's unconscious body. He had pulled up and was standing on a chair to reach the cuffs that were over eight feet high off the floor. Rocky scrambled up on another chair to help. Gordon left to ready the next stage of torture for the demon king, with a smile on his face.

"Damn demon lover's tall and heavy. I look forward to getting the chance to bring their leader down off his throne." Cage said as he released Sam's left arm from the cuffs. Rocky caught the arm, as Sam started to slide to the floor, but wavered in the chair. He let go to retain his balance and Sam fell with a sickening _crack_ to the concrete below. A small pool of blood formed under the right side of his head where it lay on the cold concrete.

"Dammit Rocky, now I guess we gotta patch 'im up before we rip him to shreds."


	9. Little Package Of Horrors

**Chapter 9: Little Package of Horrors**

Dean was still pacing, his limp fading with use of his injured knee. Bobby was researching buildings in the town to find out if any were secluded and abandoned enough that Gordon would feel safe enough in taking Sam there to do who knows what to the poor boy. He knew Gordon from a long time ago. That hunter loved to play with his prey, like a cat with a half dead mouse. And he would do it right under Dean's nose for revenge.

There was a soft knock on the motel room door. Kira pulled her knife as Dean pulled his gun. Kira moved off the bed and out of the line of sight from the door. Dean walked cautiously up to the left side staying out of the path of any bullets should the person on the other side have a gun.

"Who is it?"

"Management." Dean checked the peep hole and nodded to Kira as he put his gun back in his waistband. She slid her knife back in its sheath and adjusted her sleeve. He opened the door. "This was left at the front desk for you." He handed Dean a small yellow envelope and turned away."

"Uh… thanks." Dean closed the door and leaned against it. He didn't know why but his hands were shaking and he really did not want to open that envelope. He stared at it for a minute. Bobby understood and got up from the chair at the table. Coming up to Dean he eased the packet out of Dean's lax hands and broke the seal. He looked in before reaching and swallowed hard.

"Oh god." That got Dean's attention. Kira stood from the bed. She was shaking.

"What Bobby?"

Bobby pulled the contents out of the envelope. Parts of a sadistic care package. There was a Polaroid of Sam, unconscious, hanging from a ceiling by handcuffs, blood running down his arms. A piece of a whip came next, a cat of nine tails- eight now if this was cut from that whip. With the whip came something that made Bobby truly sick to his stomach. He put it all on the table and ran for the bathroom, losing his lunch and grieving over what was happening to the young man he considered a nephew.

Dean moved to the table and picked up the offending object with tears in his eyes. He looked at Kira as she too began to cry. In Dean's hand was a lock of Sam's longish, wavy, dark brown hair. One end was bloody, where it was previously connected to his scalp. Dean placed the lock on the table and took Kira in his arms.

"We will find him, right? We can save him Dean? Can't we?" Kira asked as she buried her head in Dean's shoulder.

"Damn straight we're gonna save him. Gordon Walker will die a slow death for what he's doing to Sammy. I'll see to that."

Bobby came out of the bathroom after rinsing his mouth and walked out the door, going straight for the office. He wanted to speak to the manager, find out what he could about the person who delivered the package. He went into the office.

"What can I do for you?" The manager asked, swallowing hard at the dangerous glint in the man's eye.

"That package you dropped off at Dean's room. Who dropped it here?"

"The guy wasn't from around here. I know almost everyone in this town. Definitely a stranger."

"What'd he look like?"

"Average height, thin, black. Insane. He scared to crap out of me."

Bobby just nodded and left the office. Back in the room Kira and Dean were sitting on the bed side by side. Dean had his arm around Kira's shoulders. He face was streaked with dry tears and so was Dean's.

"Gordon definitely has Sam. He's the one that delivered the package."

Dean looked up, intense hate shining in his green eyes. "He's dead. This time there is no walking away. He's not going to breathe much longer after we find Sam."

Bobby moved to the laptop at the table, carefully avoiding looking at the envelope and its contents. "There are two buildings in town that Gordon would feel safe enough in taking Sam. One is an abandoned quilt factory and the other is a place that used to make packing materials. Either one would fit the bill for the picture."

"We'll search them both. But we go in together. If we find Sam we get him out. God knows how bad he's hurt by now or even if he's had the strength to heal himself. "

"Boy, you know Gordon won't be alone in this. He'll have other hunters there."

Dean interrupted him. "I don't care if half the freakin Navy Seal's are there. We're getting my brother back."

Kira stood. "I'm in."

"Of course I'm in, too. But what I'm saying is we need a plan. If Sam is hurt too bad to heal himself he won't be able to fight. We have to have some way of protecting him and getting all of us out alive. Gordon's not just gonna let us walk in and walk out. He's gonna fight to hang on to or kill Sam at any cost. He believes the boy leads the army we let out of hell, for Pete's sake. It ain't gonna be easy to get Sam away from him."

Kira had moved to the table and ran a hand lovingly over the lock of hair. Her heart broke at the thought of Sam somewhere, hurting, being tortured. She stilled with a finger on the lock of hair. _Maybe._ She closed her eyes, reaching out to her love along their path. _Sam? Baby, talk to me if you can hear me. Dean, Bobby and I are looking for you. Please let me know where you are. Sam?_

She felt a faint stirring in her mind. It was a fluttering caress. Weak, hurting._ Kira?_

_Yes baby. Where are you? Have you seen anything you recognize?_

_I think I'm in some kind of factory. There is equipment and piles of material everywhere. It's… it's abandoned, all of it gathering dust. Kira, I'm hurt bad. Too weak to…_Sam faded out of her mind. She opened her eyes and looked at Dean. Then she crumpled to the floor, unconscious.


	10. Leather, Chains, and Making New Friends

**Chapter 10: Leather, Chains and Making New Friends**

Sam was jarred awake to a world filled with agony. He was handcuffed by three limbs to some kind of metal frame. The support rails were digging into his chest and ribs painfully. It was warmer in the room, but he still found himself shivering, clad only in his jeans. They were still damp and he felt like he had a fever. He lay where he was, not moving, trying to gather strength to open his eyes, to heal himself but he was failing miserably on both counts.

He sensed someone walk up to him, watching him. His left arm, the only free limb, was grabbed by a pair of rough hands and yanked savagely. The pull was followed by a sickening pop as the joint moved back into place. Sam's eyes shot open on his choked scream of agony. A handcuff was clipped quickly to his wrist and fastened to the fourth corner of the frame.

Sam tried to breathe through the pain like Dean had always told him to do. He found it difficult to do without his big brother to coach him. Black spots obscured his vision and nausea threatened to make his bad day worse. He swallowed convulsively and repeatedly, forcing bile down. He looked around with pain darkened green eyes and noticed a man- a kid really- cowering a few feet from him. It was the kid who had relocated Sam's abused shoulder joint.

He ignored the scared kid and concentrated on how he felt. His head and shoulder throbbed in time with his heart. The wounds on his chest and abdomen burned, still dripping blood with every breath as the frame rail dug into the wounds. The wounds of his wrists and head were bound by strips of dirty fabric. They felt hot and swollen. That along with the fever he felt told him infection had set in.

The pain built and he felt himself moving towards the familiar darkness. Suddenly he felt a brush at his mind. It seemed so far away, but familiar at the same time. He stilled and closed his eyes, hoping to connect with her. His Kira was trying desperately to reach for him on the path they shared.

_Sam? _He heard. It was a whisper of a mental voice from so far away. He reached for her. He maintained the long distance contact for as long as his weakened body would allow. He thought he was successful in letting her know where he was. He became too weak to keep the connection and she slipped from his battered mind. He slipped into unconsciousness again.

A few minutes, or hours as far as he knew, later he awoke to find the same kid looming over him. The pain was intense, and he was definitely too weak to heal himself now. His face rested against the cold metal of the frame rail and his teeth cut into his cheek as he tried to speak. He was bound too tightly to lift his head.

"Why are… you doing this…to me?" His voice rasped in his parched throat sounding completely foreign to his ears. He tried again. "You don't look like you should be a part of this. You look…like you should b-be playing basketball or…or something."

The kid came up beside Sam and crouched down where he could meet Sam's pain filled eyes. "You don't sound like the leader of a demon army."

"Who… who told you that, Gordon?"

"And my brother, Cage. He says you're bad news. That you have to die for us to win the war."

"They're so wrong. I'm not…the leader of…anything. What's your name? I'm Sam."

"Rocky. Look, Gordon and Cage will kill me if they catch me talking to you. I have to let him have you, but for what it's worth I don't believe you're workin' with demons. You look like we should be playing basketball together. I'm sorry, Sam."

"Thank… you for setting… my shoulder, Rocky." The kid nodded once and hurried away, slamming the steel door behind him. Sam was left alone. He closed his eyes and tried to regain his strength. He knew he had pretty severe injuries that needed attention.

A few minutes later the door opened again and Gordon and the other one walked in. Sam's eyes fluttered open and he registered their presence. He caught sight of the boy, Rocky, standing behind the stranger, cowering slightly. _The other one must be Cage. The brother._

"Well, well, well. Glad to see you back wit' us Sammy. Time for a little more information sharing." Gordon crouched in Sam's line of vision and caught his attention.

"What abilities do you possess?"

"What? Why is that important? You're dead set… on killing me… anyway."

Gordon moved closer to Sam and stood. He placed the flat of his palm on Sam's cheek and pressed down hard with a steady pressure. Sam's vision faded as his head began to pound, and blood filled his mouth. He felt two more teeth give and Gordon eased the pressure.

"Gahh! Ohhhh." Sam spit blood and fragments of teeth from his mouth.

"You gonna talk or do I skip to a different form of information retrieval?" Gordon said as he moved out of Sam's sight and Sam felt something trail along his back. Sam stilled instantly, stiffening as his stomach lurched. He recognized what Gordon drug across his bare back. Leather bands. It was a cat of nine tails. Sam could smell the leather as Gordon drug the whip up over his shoulder.

"I'll talk, I'll talk." Sam said, gagging on the blood in his mouth. His words sounded like they were coming from around a mouth full of cotton and nerves shrieked in his battered gums and head.

"We're waiting. What demonic powers do you possess?"

"They're not demonic. They came from my mother. She had them, too. Visions and the ability to heal injuries on myself and others. That's it." He left out the telekinesis and demon sensing ability. That would solidify his position with Gordon as a target.

"Those are some pussy powers." Cage spoke up for the first time. Sam glared at him, hating him more of possible.

"That's because he's lying to us. Aren't you, Sammy?"

"No, I swear. That's all I can do."

"That's bullshit. Because a few months ago, I hear this story about how you and Dean were kidnapped by another freak like you and you brought a building down on her to keep her from killing Dean. How'd you do that one Sammy? It wasn't a vision." Gordon put his palm on Sam's cheek again. "Remember what happens of you refuse to share with the class?"

"It was a freak adrenaline thing. I can't do it anytime I want to. I have no control over it."

"What is it? Telekinesis?"

"Yes." Sam nodded his head against the rail furiously, hoping Gordon would ease the pressure on his head. It felt like it was going to explode again and he'd felt the gash on his temple reopen. Gordon moved away again. Sam's vision swam and he choked on the blood in his mouth again.

"What do you think? Think he finally told the truth?"

"Are you stupid Cage? He's Demon infected. He lies like we breathe. He can control the telekinesis. I'm gonna make him show us. But not just yet." Gordon stepped forward again and Sam felt the pinch of a needle in his neck again. The burn was worse than before and he cried out.

"How do you like that, Sammy? It'll make you feel all better. When you rejoin us we'll play a little game."

Sam felt himself sliding away. "Dean'll kill you, you know that. You'll be dead 'fore you know wha' hitcha." Sam's eyes closed to the world, to his pain.


	11. Quilt Factory

**Chapter 11: Quilt Factory**

Dean moved forward too late to catch Kira as she fell. It was so unexpected. One minute she was standing at the table caressing that awful lock of Sam's hair and the next she was in his arms, unconscious.

"Kira? KIRA!" Dean cradled her to his chest. She was warm. He picked her up from the floor and put her on the bed. "Bobby, get me a washcloth." Bobby went to do as Dean asked. "Kira, come on sis-to-be." He whispered. "Please wake up. What happened to you?"

"Here, Dean. How is she?"

Dean bathed her face and neck. "She's out. I don't know what the hell happened! Kira, come on."

"Sam told me that he and Kira can talk to each other in their heads. He said it's easier when they touch or are close. She touched that lock of Sam's hair. You think maybe it was enough to start a connection?"

"You think she felt Sam?"

"Maybe. They're both stronger than any of the other psychics have been. Maybe distance doesn't really matter. She did tell me when she called for help that she briefly connected with him when he was in pain after the fall to the basement back at that house."

"We gotta get her awake! Kira, come on, girl." Dean bathed her face again and was rewarded with a furrowing of her delicate brown brows. He moved onto the bed and lifted her into his arms. "That's it, that's it. Open those pretty eyes for me."

"Mmmnn… Dean?" she opened her eyes and put a hand to her forehead, enhancing the gray streak that lingered in her hair.

"Atta girl." Dean helped her sit up, moving behind her for support as she put her feet on the floor.

"God, Dean, I talked to him. I know where he is. He's hurt so bad, too bad to heal himself. He told me it's Gordon that has him. He's in the quilt factory. He saw scraps of material and equipment everywhere."

"Let's go get him."

"Wait Dean, there's something else. Something else is wrong with him. I felt it when I felt his pain. I don't know what it is but Sam's not right."

"We'll figure it out and we'll help him. I promise, Kira. But we have to get to him before Gordon kills him." Dean went towards the door.

"Dean, would you wait a damn minute?!" Bobby snarled. "Dammit boy, if you don't stop charging into things half cocked you're gonna get yourself killed. You'd a thought you learned that after that damn demon deal. You'll be no good to Sam dead. We need a plan and if you don't give me time to figure one out, I'm gonna tie your ass to a chair and make you wait!"

Dean moved away from the door. He knew if he crossed Bobby he'd wind up full of buckshot. He decided to do things Bobby's way. He sat down on the bed beside Kira. She had her head bowed; her hair was hanging over her face. Dean could tell she was upset by what she'd felt from Sam. He turned her to face him and tucked her dark blonde hair behind her ear.

"Hey, he'll be okay. We'll find him and we'll bring him home. If he needs us we'll be there, okay." Dean smiled softly.

Kira returned the smile tentatively.


	12. More Pain Than He's Ever Known

**Chapter 12: More Pain Than He's Ever Known**

Sam woke still tied face down to the metal frame. Someone was standing behind him just out of his eyesight. He still couldn't lift his throbbing head and his blood felt like it was boiling. He had to fight back nausea again. He stilled and heard breathing behind him.

"Who are you? What are… you doing?"

"Name's Cage. And Gordon said I could have a little fun with you, Sammy. What do ya say; you wanna play a little game?"

"What's the name of the game?" Sam asked, hating the voice of the man that was in the room with him. His mind went back to the fear Rocky had of his big brother. No one should have that fear of their family.

"Oh let's see. It could be "Flog the Freak" or maybe "Demon Lover's Death."

Sam stiffened. _The whip_._ Oh God._

"Too bad the things only got eight tails. Not quite as effective as nine, but your brother got the point when we sent him the other tail I'm sure."

"Dean's alive?" Sam's heart filled with hope. If Dean was out there it was only a matter of time before he came to save his little brother.

"Oh yeah, he's alive but you'll never see him again. You'll be dead before he gets here." With that Cage brought down the whip.

The crack resounded throughout the room. Sam gritted his broken teeth, refusing to cry out as the leather penetrated deeply through flesh and muscle. He felt blood running down his muscled sides as the whip was lifted from his back, taking bits of flesh with it along the knots in the leather cords.

_Crack._ It came down again. Sam screamed this time as the blow shredded muscle along his injured shoulder.

"AAhhhhhghhhhh!" Sam threw up between the frame rails onto the dusty floor. His breaths came in rasps as the heaves subsided.

Cage came into his blurred line of sight and grabbed him by the hair, digging into the place on his head where the blindfold had pulled his hair. Sam's head was lifted painfully from the rail. He felt blood ooze again.

"What do you think, Sammy? You like this game? I do."

"Go to hell!" Sam blurted, pain making him rash. Cage's face grew stormy and he slammed Sam's lifted face into the steel frame rail. A crack resounded loud in the silent room as Sam's cheekbone broke under the force of the blow. Sam was out. The whip flew again and again.

Twenty lashes later Cage stopped the onslaught, breathing heavily. "I'm tired of this game." He dropped the bloody whip on the dusty floor in a pool of Sam's blood and left, slamming the steel door behind him. The room was silent except for a shallow rasping breath.

"Did you leave something for your brother and me, Cage?" Gordon asked with a cruel smile on his face when he observed the blood splattering Cage almost head to toe.

"There's a little left. He's still breathing. I left the kill for you. Like you wanted."

Rocky pulled his knees up to his chest on the chair he was occupying and stared in fear at his brother. It was an awful sight, Sam's blood all over his brother. Rocky felt sick. He was scared of Cage, more of Gordon, but he felt like he should say something. Do something to help Sam. Deep down he knew Sam wasn't lying about returning the demons to hell. He decided to play the situation so he could help Sam, however he could. _If_ he could.

"Is it my turn now?" He asked forcing a hopeful smile to his face. Secretly his gut was twisting in horror.

"Glad to see you comin' around Rocky. Go ahead. Have a little fun wit' our freak in there." Gordon said. Rocky grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the table and took a swig, carrying it with him into the room. He closed the steel door. His heart stopped and he immediately threw up the whiskey when he saw Sam. It hadn't even had time to stop burning before it burned again.

"Ah, God!" He went to Sam's side, kneeling, unable to look at Sam's back. The glimpse he'd caught when he came into the room was forever burned into his brain. The lashes ran so deep that bone was visible in many of them. His back resembled hamburger.

A breath rasped in the silence that ruled the room.

"Sam? God, I'm sorry. Sam? Can you hear me?" Rocky touched Sam's neck and found a pounding pulse. It was way too fast. "I should have stopped this. Sam can you heal yourself? Man you're losing a ton of blood." Rocky moved in front of Sam and raised his head gently. The right side of his face was swollen beyond recognition, his cheekbone sunken in at an odd place. Cage had broken it.

"Ugh. Rock-ky?" Sam opened the eye that wasn't swollen hideously shut. "I'm dyin'." Sam slurred, tears running even from the swollen eye. Blood trailed from his mouth and he gagged. "De-ean nee', m' rother. Hel' me."

"I can't. I'm so sorry. They'll kill me. I brought you something though." He lifted the whiskey bottle to Sam's bloody lips. "Drink, please, drink. It'll help with the pain."

Sam struggled to take even a sip of the whiskey, now desperate for something to ease the pain. He sipped a little and let it burn his bloody mouth, hoping it killed the nerves enough to allow him to speak clearer. He swallowed as his mouth went numb and Rocky gave him more. He managed enough that the pain faded a miniscule amount. Another burn worked its way through his battered body, raising his temperature further.

" 'lease hel' me. Nee' Dean."

Rocky shook his head again. "I can't. I'm sorry." He lowered Sam's head as gently as possible and began to back away. He was too close to wanting to help Sam. It would get him killed.

"Kill me. 'lease kill me."

"No! I'm not gonna kill you. Dean will come for you. Just hold out a little longer. After everything I've heard I get the feeling your brother cares for you a lot more than mine does me. I'm so sorry Sam. This was supposed to be my time to hurt you. If they don't hear somethin' they'll get suspicious. I'll get killed. I'm so sorry." Rocky reached out a shaking hand and pressed his palm into the deepest laceration on Sam's back. Blood pooled around his hand with the pressure he exerted.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!"


	13. Plans for a Rescue

**Chapter 13: Plans for a Rescue**

"Okay I got something. I hacked into the Zoning Committee files and got a blueprint of the Quilt factory. The room in the Polaroid showed a boiler in the background. That means he'd be in this room. This one or the next one. The next one is a loom shed. Kira said Sam saw equipment all around. Maybe he saw the loom. I really hate to say this but those machines could be very dangerous. If they wanted to torture him…"

"Bobby, STOP!" Kira screamed. "I know Sam is hurt and all kinds of awful things are already running through my mind. I don't need any help imagining what he's been through!_ I felt it!_"

"Okay. He'll be okay. We are gonna get him out. NOW! Let's go. Kira, we need to take your car. It's quieter than mine or Bobby's truck. Let's get the stuff out of the trunk. We're going in prepared for anything." Dean said.

Minutes later they were on their way to rescue Sam. They were silent and Kira killed the headlights as they approached the factory. She could see well in the light of the full moon. Her car was quiet enough that no one came looking. She killed the engine and they got out of the car, just closing the doors enough to engage the latch. All three hunters had weapons at the ready as they silently entered the warehouse.

They used signs to communicate once inside and moved towards the boiler room. They heard voices coming from the room and saw that light was coming from that one and from beneath the door of the next one.

"That demonic bastard passed out on the fourth crack of the whip, after the son-of-a-bitch threw up and told me to go to hell. You believe that?!"

Dean chilled at the thought of what his baby brother went through. If possible he felt frozen at the same time fury boiled his blood. He risked a glance at Kira. She was quiet but her eyes were full of terror. Dean turned his attention back to the talk in the room as bottles clanked together in salute.

"So then…" Cage swallowed around a mouthful of whiskey. "… then I caved in the bastards face. Took out his cheekbone with the frame rail."

"Good job, Cage." Gordon said.

Dean's blood boiled. Something made the hair on his neck stand on end.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh!_ Sam's scream filled the air in the factory. It came from down the hall. A door opened and closed and a bottle was shattered against a wall. Dean could hear glass falling to the concrete floor.

Dean whirled silently, his gun now stuck in the face of the person who'd made Sam scream so horribly. His green eyes glinted dangerously above the barrel, boring onto the petrified blue eyes of … a kid younger than Sam. The kid was silent, even as Dean's finger tightened on the trigger. The kid raised his arms slowly. He motioned for the hunters to follow him as he did something no one has ever done to Dean Winchester. He turned his back on Dean's gun. Dean looked at Bobby, who nodded. Dean and Kira followed the kid while Bobby stayed behind. He was determined to remove the threat to the youngest Winchester forever.

Anyone who could hurt someone like Sam didn't deserve to breathe. Bobby pulled a second gun and moved to watch some more. He saw that neither hunter was within arms reach of a gun; and both appeared very drunk. _That's odd for Gordon. The bastard always has his hand on a gun._ Bobby looked at Gordon more closely. Sure enough a pistol was resting in his lap. Bobby made his move. He shot both guns at once, catching Gordon high in the right shoulder, incapacitating his gun hand. Cage took a hit to the chest, dropping dead instantly. He took his whiskey bottle with him as he crashed to the floor. Gordon fell also. Bobby stepped into the room.


	14. A Horrifying Sight

**Chapter 14: A Horrifying Sight**

Dean and Kira rounded the corner as they heard gunshots. Dean trusted Bobby to take care of the other two while he tended his brother. He still held the gun pressed tightly to the kid's skull as he opened a door to a small room. Dean's heart stopped as his eyes flicked over the awful sight before him.

"Sam." Dean whispered. "Kira, go." He pushed his gun deeper into the kid's skull. "Where the hell are the keys to the cuffs?"

"In… in my right jacket pocket. Please I want to help. I didn't want them to do this to him."

"You sure as _hell_ had a funny way of showing that. You're the one who made him scream like you'd ripped his skin off! Why should I trust you? You have_ my brother's _blood on your hands. I should just kill ya right now." The menace in Dean's voice was very clear.

"He talked to me like I was human. I owe him what little I can give."

Dean lowered the gun. "Try anything and I'll drop you before your next breath clears your lips."

Dean moved into the room after the kid handed him the keys. Kira was on her knees beside Sam's head.

"God. He's barely breathing. Look what they did to him!" Tears streamed unchecked down her face. Dean knelt and gingerly touched Sam's battered, broken face.

"Sammy? Kiddo, can you hear me?" Dean whispered.

One green eye fluttered open. "De…" a convulsive swallow. "De—… Ki..."

She stroked his blood splattered cheek. "Shhh… sh--shh. I'm right here." She whispered. The eye blinked and closed after the glazed look of pain settled in.

Dean quickly moved to undo the handcuffs. Sam winced and passed out again at the movement. Dean started when he saw the black streaks if infection that traced Sam's veins up his blood encrusted arms towards his heart.

"God. We have to get him outta here. He's in bad shape."

"I wanna help. What can I do?"

"Go get Bobby. Make sure you tell him to kill that Son-of-a-bitch, Gordon. Try anything…

"I know. I'll be dead before I know it. I'm not gonna pull anything, Dean."

Dean looked at Kira. She nodded. The kid was telling the truth. Kira had caught his emotions. He really did like Sam and it had made him sick that this happened. The kid left and a few seconds later another shot rang out in the night.

A minute later Bobby joined them. He stopped in the doorway.

"Dammit. How is he?" He asked Dean, already knowing the answer.

"Not good. He's got infection, fever. Shock has set in and he's lost half his blood supply. We have to get him the hell outta here. Then we have to keep him alive until we get him somewhere safe."

"The other two are dead. We can move him. You trust the kid?"

"Yes." It was Kira who spoke. That was good enough for Bobby.

"Dean, we have to get the bleeding stopped and field dress these wounds. He can't keep losing blood. He'll bleed out for sure." Bobby said.

Kira stood and bolted from the room. She was cautious, still armed and ready, but she went to the Monte Carlo and pulled out a blanket and the med kit, along with the extra supplies she'd stocked and a bottle of water. She returned to the guys. They had the handcuffs removed. Sam slumped on the elevated frame now that the bindings had been removed. Dean removed the filthy, blood-soaked rags from Sam's wrists and head. All three wounds were badly infected. Dean pulled the med kit to him and removed a syringe. He gave Sam a shot of antibiotics and pulled another syringe.

"What's that?" The kid, Rocky, asked.

"Pain killers. He's gonna need them bad." Dean stuck the needle in Sam's arm.

"Don't give him that!" the kid screamed.

Dean removed the needle. "What? Why the hell not?!"

"Gordon was drugging Sam with something. Said it was poison and that when he was done, if Sam managed to live, you would be the one to kill him. The drug built up in Sam's system with every injection. Gordon said that if you gave him a certain painkiller it would kill him. He never said which one, but I get the feeling he knew it was one you had access to. He seemed sure it would work."

"We have to move him without pain killer?! I should put another bullet in that bastard's head on principle."

"I brought in a blanket. We can put him on it to move him. It'll save him from the strain of us pulling on his arms and legs."

"We need a lot more dressing for these wounds. This is a frickin' quilt factory." Bobby looked at the kid. "Go find some clean scraps of material. Bring as much as you can find. Go now!"


	15. Shock of Movement

**Chapter 15: Shock of Movement**

Sam stirred. He began to slide down the elevated loom frame.

"God Sammy!" Dean and Kira reached out to restrain him and did nothing more than jar him and break his fall. Dean supported him as Kira hurriedly spread the blanket. They laid him out on his stomach on the edge of the clean soft wool. He moaned and vomited. The mess cleared the blanket. He began shaking violently.

"He's sinking into deep shock!" Bobby said. The violent movement had him crying out and had blood pouring from the wounds his destroyed back bore. The kid came running back into the room, arms laden with clean scraps of white material. He also had another bottle of whiskey in hand. He handed it to Dean and fell to his knees, keeping the material carefully off the floor.

"Good. Let's get this freakin' bleeding slowed. Give the boy some of that whiskey if you can get him to drink."

Dean gently gave Sam as much whiskey as he could swallow. Most of it leaked out of his misshapen mouth. Soon they had Sam swathed in bandages. His entire chest and back were solid white along with both wrists and his head. He was still shaking badly, but was warmer thanks to the burn of the whiskey. Dean wrapped a swath of material around Sam's head, immobilizing his broken cheekbone and jaw. They centered him on the blanket and all four grabbed a corner. They moved slowly so as not to jar him too much and had him at the car in five minutes. The chill in the night air had him shaking again.

"We can't put him in the car. It'll be unbearable for him, even unconscious." Kira said.

"We have too. He can't stay out here in this air." The wrestled as gently as they could and finally got him stretched out across the back seat. Kira turned from the sight and stared at the abandoned building.

"Kira? You okay?" Kira just stared. A red glow began in the interior of the building. Glass broke and melted in the windows. She turned to Dean.

"That fire will burn hot. There will be no escape, no walking away this time." Kira quoted Dean's earlier statement with a deathly calm voice. Only her eyes gave away how upset she truly was. She got in the car.

Bobby drove the car. Kira rode shotgun, turned around in the seat, watching Sam. Dean rode back to the motel with Rocky in his truck.

They pulled into the motel parking lot a few minutes later and soon had Sam in the room on the floor. It was after ten and the office was closed. They were lucky no one saw them. It was well after six a.m. before they had Sam's injuries cleaned and properly stitched. It took over a thousand stitches with Bobby and Dean working in turns; with Kira handing them the supplies that they needed. Everyone was exhausted and Sam had stirred repeatedly, before finally giving in to the pain.

They moved him to one of the full sized beds. Dean lay down beside him and Bobby prepared to give Dean's blood to Sam. Soon Dean was asleep from blood loss. Sam's color was better and Bobby was drooping with fatigue as he removed the tubing and needles from the guy's arms. Rocky was sitting on the floor in the corner, not saying a word.

Kira walked up to Bobby and touched his shoulder with a strong, comforting hand. "Take the other bed. Get some rest. You deserve it. I'll wake you if they need you."

"You sure you'll be okay with the kid?"

"I'm sure." Kira smiled softly. "He's lost but he's really a good kid." Bobby moved wearily to the other bed, looking twice his age. He was asleep in minutes. Kira walked over to where Rocky looked lost in the corner.

"Come with me." She put out a hand and the boy took it. She hauled him to his feet. He followed her into the kitchenette in the room and sat at the table. She made two cups of tea and sat at the other chair. He sipped his tea.

"Mmm… that's good. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He looked into his steaming mug. "Why are you being so nice to me? I helped to hurt him. I can see you care about him. Don't you want me dead? I think Dean does and I don't blame him. I… I should have done something more to help him after my brother hurt him so badly."

"Dean doesn't want you dead. He's upset, yes. His brother means everything to him."

"Gordon told me there was a rumor of a deal. Dean made a deal to save Sam's life?"

"Yes he did." Kira said softly. "Thank God he did."

"My brother never would have done that for me. Sam's really lucky to have Dean."

Kira looked at the brother's sleeping side by side on the same bed. "We're all lucky to have Dean. He'd do anything for any one of us. Even you."

"He would?" Rocky asked in amazement, glancing at the bed.

"You helped us to save Sam. You're a good person, who's confused. He sees that. Of course he would help you. Sam wanted to help you. I sensed it. How old are you?"

"Seventeen. You're like Sam aren't you? You started that fire back there. You can read my mind."

"In my own way I'm like Sam. He helped me once and then fate put us back together. I hunt with them now."

"Sam's lucky to have so many people to help him. Even the old man loves him."

"Yes, Bobby loves us all in his own way. He's known Sam and Dean since they were kids. He thinks of them as family and would do anything to protect them. I'm with Sam, and to Bobby that puts me under his protection, too."

"Do you think Sam will forgive me for the things I let him go through?"

"I know he would. I do."

They finished their tea and Rocky laid his head on the table. He slept.

Kira watched. The sun rose. And the day passed.


	16. Waking Whole

**Chapter 16: Waking Whole**

Dean stirred on the bed. During the time he'd slept he'd turned into Sam. Sam had turned his face towards Dean and tucked it up against his chest like he had done often when he was little. Sam's bruises had faded during the day. His cheek bone had realigned and mended. Dean touched him. His breathing was normal.

"Sammy?" Kira heard Dean whisper. She stood from the couch and walked to the bed.

"Is he okay?"

"He looks better. Look at his face. It's healed." Dean removed the wrap from Sam's right wrist. It too was mostly healed, the infection was gone. All that was left was some slight bruising.

Kira touched Sam's face as Dean sat up on the bed. _Baby? Can you hear me? I know you hurt but we need you to wake up. We need you back._

_Kira?_

Kira smiled. "Yes. I'm here. So are Dean and Bobby. Rocky is here too. We're all here for you." A smile graced Sam's slightly bruised face and Kira saw the most beautiful sight of her life. A pair of vibrant gold flecked green eyes opened and looked directly at her. Clear and pain free.

"Hot Damn! It worked." Bobby came to the bed where Sam rested. He had a huge smile on his bearded face.

"What worked?" Sam asked, with a strong but raspy voice. Dean moved to the kitchenette and came back with a glass of water. He lifted Sam's head and gave him a drink as Bobby answered the question.

"The transfusion Dean volunteered for. I hoped the blood would give you the strength to heal yourself." Rocky had woken up and came towards the bed, cowering slightly when Dean glanced his way.

"Thank you. All of you." Sam looked at each one in the room. His eyes lingered on Rocky and he watched the lost boy gain a little confidence.

Sam forced his way to a sitting position and shook Dean off as he tried to play overprotective big brother. "Dean, I'm okay. I just need to finish healing myself." Dean helped him stand and then moved away as his little brother began to glow, first green then a brilliant white that had everyone looking away. The glow faded as over a thousand stitches turned to ash and fell off flawless skin. Bruises faded completely away and even teeth were fixed, shining with the smile Sam gave everyone in the room.

"Those stitches took us eight hours, Sammy. And you can't leave them in for one day!" Dean punched Sam in the arm as laughter rang out in the room. Bobby handed Sam a gray t-shirt and his sneakers. Sam slid into the shirt with ease and used his telekinesis to tie the sneakers.

"Let's get back to Tacoma, Dean. I want to go home." Sam said as he moved to Kira's side and pulled her into his arms. She went willingly. He kissed her and she returned it with everything she had._ I was scared I'd lost you. _

_I was scared I was lost for a while. Rocky helped. That and thoughts of you and Dean. I love you._

"Let's go home." Dean said. Dean drove the Impala while Sam drove Kira's Monte Carlo. Rocky followed in his truck. And Bobby brought up the rear in his truck. Four hours later they all pulled into the motel they considered home. Harry greeted them affectionately. It was dark again.

"I told you'd see your young man again, Miss Kira."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Yes you did. Harry, we have a few new guests for a while. This is Bobby and Rocky. Please give them keycards for the bigger rooms." Harry handed out cards and everyone went to clean up. Harry remained at the desk. Dean showed Rocky which room was his. Bobby had the same one as last time. Dean went back into the one he'd been staying in. He looked at the other bed in the room and figured he wouldn't see Sammy for a while. He grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower, smiling happily.


	17. Quality Time

**Chapter 17: Quality Time**

Sam had followed Kira closely into their apartment. She had shed her jacket and removed her knife sheath from her forearm. She looked every inch the hunter she now was and more. Kira was half way across the living room when he caught her in his arms from behind. She stopped as he pulled her back against him. H felt so good, warm. _Whole._ She realized now how closely she had actually come to losing him this time. It shook her. She spun in his arms with tears dancing in her expressive brown eyes. Sam caught her thoughts.

_Hey. I'm here. You and Dean saved me. You were there for me, bravely, at one of the worst times of my life. I'd say that classifies you as a heroine in my eyes. You saved my life. You were in my mind and you gave me something to hang on for. I love you for that._

Kira kissed him, putting everything she had into it. Intense love, her fear of loss, pain at seeing him hurt, dying. She showed him how she felt without speaking in his mind or aloud. Sam returned the kiss with comfort, love, and a fire that made her gasp.

Hands went for buttons on her deep blue blouse. His or hers she wasn't sure which until she felt his muscled abdomen, now free of injury, beneath her searching palms as they quested under his t-shirt. His mouth fastened to hers again as her shirt hit the floor softly. She kicked out of her sneakers and her change in height had Sam bending lower as he refused to release her mouth.

She pulled on his shirt, making her intentions known to him. He pulled back and the shirt was over his head and dangling from her hand briefly, before it joined hers in its final resting place for the night. He fastened his mouth to hers and set her on fire when he reached for her belt. It was soon unbuckled and short work was made of buttons. Kira pulled away and glanced behind her towards the bedroom. Sam scooped her up and made the trip quickly with his long strides. He set her on her feet and locked himself to her.

Candles flickered to soft life behind Kira all around the bed, and the satin sheets sparkled invitingly in the soft glow. The hands that had been around his neck made their way in fluttering caresses down his chest to his jeans. The button and zipper made themselves scarce and his jeans slid over his hips to fall in a heap. He stepped out of them, sending his sneakers packing, and moved Kira to the soft bed._ I love you. _He thought as he joined her for the rest of the night. They settled in to sleep after dawn, Sam using his telekinesis to pull the drapes tightly closed over the windows.

Sam woke the next morning before Kira. Her head was resting on his shoulder. He laid still and let her sleep, instead concentrating on ridding his body of the ache that ghosted him from every one of the injuries he'd suffered. He knew he'd been hurt badly, had nearly died. He remembered he'd begged Rocky to kill him. Sam felt guilty about that. He had so much to do. He had remembered the ritual Bobby had found and was sure he could perform it and save Dean. He had Kira, and his plans for her which he decided to put off no longer than the few hours it would take until they could see Bobby off and get Rocky settled.

The aches eased, Sam leaned into Kira and kissed her on the crown of her head. She stirred and woke, running a hand through her gray streaked blonde hair.

"Are you hurting?"

"Not anymore." He answered truthfully. "We should get up and go join the others. I have plans for today."

"You should rest, Sam. You've been through a lot."

"I'm okay. I don't want this to wait. And we need to get Rocky settled."

"You want him to stay here, too?" She asked. "I wanted to give him a job. He can help Harry while we finish this war."

"Yes. I want him to stay. He helped me and now he has no one, even though who he had wasn't much to begin with. Any brother that puts that kind of fear into family…" Sam let his voice trail off and put the long burned out candles back into their places on the stands next to the bed.

"Come on." He eased from the bed and pulled her with him, heading for the shower. He turned on the spray and pulled her under it first, washing her head to toe with his hands and her body wash. She returned the favor, grateful that there were no sore spots or scars. She then moved to wash his hair. She started gently, afraid of hurting the area that had been pulled, but then when she looked, she saw that his hair had even grown back. Her Sam was perfect again. She scrubbed his hair then, making it shine. He rinsed off and washed hers for her. Then he pulled her into his arms and simply held her, allowing the warmth of the water to slide over their bodies and wash away the events of the last few days. The water was turning cold before they stepped out of the shower.

They dried off and dressed, walking hand in hand out of the apartment and into the office where the others had been waiting. Harry and Rocky had made coffee at the desk and Bobby and Dean had went to the diner and picked up some breakfast sandwiches and donuts. It was obvious that Rocky had taken a liking to Harry and that made Sam and Kira feel good about their decision.

Everyone made short work of breakfast and two pots of coffee. Talking, even laughing after the events of the past few days. Things were returning to normal and Sam hoped that they would be better than normal later that day. Kira caught that thought and gave him an odd look. He calmed his mind and cleared his throat.

"Attention, everyone. I have an announcement to make and a couple questions to ask."


	18. Questions and Answers

**Chapter 18: Questions and Answers**

"First off, I want to thank everyone here for helping me when I was in trouble. Harry, thank you for keeping this place in line for us." Harry nodded. "I owe you guys so much. All of you." Kira moved to Sam's side and he pulled her close.

"We both do. Bobby, Dean, without you being there and being strong I would have lost Sam. We all would have lost Sam." She said as she squeezed him.

"I just wanted to thank you guys. I know you would have come for me no matter the outcome. I just needed to tell you guys I love you all for doing everything you did for me. I know it wasn't easy. I appreciate it." Sam finished and turned to Rocky and Harry.

"Now for one of my questions. Harry, could you use some help around this place? Do you think you could keep an assistant manager busy on the slow days?"

"Well, I am fifty-four. I can't be expected to do all the heavy lifting of magazines and coffee cups by myself, now can I." Harry responded with a wink in Kira's direction. Kira giggled and squeezed Sam again, pleased that Harry liked the prospect of Rocky staying on at the motel.

Sam looked at Rocky. "What do you say? You want a job and a place to live?"

"Me?! No kidding?"

"Yes, you. If you'll have us. If you'll stay around to let us make you crazy."

"I'd love it!" Rocky flew into Sam and Kira's arms. He had a real home with no fear for the first time in his young life. He wondered if Sam would make time to play basketball with him.

Sam looked at Dean over Rocky's head, with questioning eyes. Dean nodded and smiled. Sam smiled back. Rocky moved out of their arms looking a little sheepish. Sam ruffled his shaggy, dark hair. He walked over to Harry and received a cuff on the arm and a welcome home.

"Next question: Do you feel up to packing a picnic or should we just grab a bucket of chicken from the restaurant?" Sam looked at Kira.

"Let's grab the chicken. I also know where we can get a basketball."

Sam smiled.

Twenty minutes later they had piled into the Impala and headed for the diner and then the park, picnic and basketball in tow. Kira and Bobby relaxed on the blanket and watched Sam, Dean and Rocky play a very good game. They talked.

"Did Sam tell you about the E-mail I sent him?"

"No. What was it?"

Bobby shook his head. "You'll have to ask him. It might help Dean."

"As in breaking the deal, help Dean?"

"Yep. Ask Sam when the two of you are alone. Hell, he'll tell you. He's gonna need your help to pull it off. I need to get home. I haven't finished all my research on that end of things yet. Just don't let Sam try anything until I call you again."

"Okay."

Bobby stood. "Hey guys, I'm takin' off. I gotta get home."

The basketball game stopped with Sam holding the ball. "You can't leave yet, Bobby." He put the ball on the court and jogged over. Dean and Rocky remained on the court.

"I was hoping we could talk about that e-mail."

"I told Kira about it. You listen to her. I'll get back to you when I know it'll work. 'Till then don't you try anything. That ritual is complicated and unless it's done exactly right it's dangerous. I hear that you try anything, I'm gonna hand your ass to you! Don't think I can't either!" Bobby ruffled Sam's long hair affectionately. "I'm glad you're okay, boy."

"Bobby, at least eat with us. Please?" Kira asked. She genuinely liked the older hunter.

"Okay. I'll stay for the food and for you, Kira. But then I'm outta here. Too much time with these Winchesters fries a guy's brain."

Sam and Kira both laughed "Hey guys? Time for lunch!" Sam called out. Dean and Rocky jogged from the court and joined the others on the blanket.

"Before we eat I have something on my mind." Sam said turning to Kira. He stood, pulling her to her feet. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box. He handed it to her.

"Sam…"

"Shhh… Just open the box." She did as Sam dropped to one knee. He didn't say anything as her eyes took in the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. It had a square cut diamond in the center and had a stone on each side the exact beautiful color of Sam's eyes. She looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. A smile caught her trembling lips and turned them up at the corners.

"Kira Beth Morrison, will you marry me?" She never said a word aloud. She threw herself into Sam's arms and kissed him.

_You know I will._

Dean coughed exaggeratedly and Bobby stifled a hoot. "Is that a yes, sis-to-be?"

Kira pulled away from Sam and leaned her temple into his forehead. He kissed her cheek. "It's a yes!" she said, unable to contain her smile.

"Good, 'cause I helped him pick that ring." All five laughed and celebrated over lunch and for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
